Record number of Brits choosing to go abroad

The number of British travellers choosing to take a trip abroad increased by 4.1% in 2014 when compared to 2013, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The data from the ONS highlighted that a staggering 60.1 million trips were made from Britain to overseas locations last year.

Spain was ranked as the most popular location for holidaying Brits, accounting for one in five trips abroad. The statistics also showed that Brits took more trips abroad last year than any other time in the past ten years.

The survey also looked at how long these sun seeking Brits stayed away for, with the average holiday lasting 10.3 nights, a figure that has remained stable since 2009.

However, it wasn’t just British travellers going abroad as the number of foreign tourists visiting the UK also increased to a record 34.4 million during 2014, a 5.2% increase on 2013. The same tourists also spent £21.8 billion in the country last year, while London alone saw a record number of 17.4 million overnight stays – accounting for a 3.5% increase on 2013.

2015 set to witness the same

While 2014 saw a record number of British travellers heading abroad, 2015 is set to be just the same, with the Maldives proving to be the most popular holiday destination so far this year.

Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation announced a huge increase in the number of British holidaymakers making their way to the holiday resort, with numbers 8% higher during the first three months of 2015 alone.

It means 25,158 UK tourists visiting the Maldives in the first quarter, compared to just 23,297 during the first three months of 2014.

The Deputy Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation, Mohamed Adam, said they are extremely “pleased” to see such a large increase in the number of UK visitors making their way to the country.

Adam also noted that the country is expanding their tourism offering to ensure the country continues to perform well throughout 2015.